‘சிகப்பு ரோஜாக்கள்’ ~ Red Roses !!

 

அடுத்தடுத்து நடக்கிற கொலையைக் களமாகக் கொண்ட கதை, இதயத்தின்  லப்டப் துடிப்பை  எகிறடிக்கிற பின்னணி இசை. சைக்கோ கொலைகள்!  இளம் வயதில் பெண்களால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டு, மனப்பிறழ்வுக்கு ஆளானவன், ஒவ்வொரு பெண்ணுடனும் பழகி, அவர்களைக் கொலை செய்து, புதைத்து, அதன் மீது ரோஜாச் செடிகளை நடுவது  !!

திருநெல்வேலியைப் பூர்வீகமாகக் கொண்ட இளைஞன், மும்பையில் வேலை நிமித்தமாகச் சென்று, மனப்பிறழ்வுக்கு ஆளாகி, பெண்களைக் கொன்று போட்ட நிஜக்கதையின் பாதிப்பில் எடுக்கப்பட்ட படம் ‘சிகப்பு ரோஜாக்கள்’

 

While movie Sigappu Rojakkal was a fiction ! ~ the War of Roses was real ! The Wars of the Roses were a series of English civil wars for control of the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival cadet branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the House of Lancaster, represented by a red rose, and the House of York, represented by a white rose. Eventually, the wars eliminated the male lines of both families.

Red Rose  released in 1980 was a  Hindi thriller film, starring Rajesh Khanna and Poonam Dhillon. It was  a remake of the Tamil film Sigappu Rojakkal, made by the same director Bharathi Rajaa and the same cinematographer P. S. Nivas.  It failed miserably in Hindi. 

Sigappu Rojakkal   starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi, with Goundamani, Bhagyaraj and Vadivukkarasi in supporting roles released in 1978 ran packed houses.  The storyline revolved around Dileep, a seemingly humble man who secretly kills women after having sex with them.

Sigappu Rojakkal was inspired by serial killer Raman Raghav's crimes, and another serial killer who was based in Bombay but hailed from Tirunelveli. It was deliberately meant to be different from Bharathiraja's earlier ventures, which were set in villages.

Regards – S Sampathkumar

27.10.2026

Set Nila !!! ~ யானை தந்தம் போலே பிறை நிலா

 

Know what is Set Nila !!  Long ago ! saw a Cinema shooting – time was around 1030 pm – Heroine Devayani was standing in the balcony with Full moon in the background – it was not a Pournami day !!  - then as it was about to be taken – from the next building terrace – one of the Assistants unfolded a round White slightly shining round object tied with a black thread to a stick .. .. and the angle ensured that only the actress and the (hanging) Moon was visible !! 

Moon has enamoured mankind since centuries !  - Mathi, venmathi, thanmathi, thingal, ambuli, nila, chandamama and more – all names of that shining cool one seen in the sky in the night – Chandran ! -the moon. Luna  by the Romans, Selene and Artemis by the Greeks, and many other names in other mythologies. The Moon is revered liked and held high since prehistoric times.

Yesterday was  Pournami, full moon day, in India. Remember - the moon does not emit its own light but reflects that of the sun and partly that reflected by the Earth–phenomenon of ashen light.

Ever heard this Tamil song !!  

யானை தந்தம் போலே பிறை நிலா

வானிலே ஜோதியாய் வீசுதே

 

தேவ அமுதம் நீரே கலை மணி

பூவிலே அசையாமலே வண்டு தூங்குதே

 

The song    "Yaanai Thandham Pole" is from the 1952 Tamil film Amarakavi. Sung by MK Thiyagaraja Bagavathar and P Leela, to the music of G Ramanathan.    

While women’s beauty, face, and the like are often compared with Moon – found it somewhat odd with the comparison of  பிறை நிலா with யானை தந்தம்

The analogy – is  visual analogy (உவமை)   a core element of classical Tamil poetry. The lyricist Suratha, was widely celebrated   as Uvamaikignar.  Here the most direct logic is the geometric similarity. A crescent moon during its early phases curves gently into a sharp, tapered point on both ends. This perfectly mirrors the natural curve and pointed tip of an elephant's tusk. An elephant tusk is famed for its smooth, milky white ivory texture. In the song,   ivory white of the tusk is used to emphasize the pristine, pure white glow of the moon glowing against the dark night sky. In culture and literature, elephants represent majesty, royalty, and grace. By associating the moon—a classic romantic symbol—with an elephant's tusk, the poet elevates the visual imagery, making the romantic setting feel grand, regal, and deeply rooted in classic poetic traditions.

The October full Moon, traditionally known as the Hunter’s Moon, is in the news today. It is not a supermoon.  In India, Hunter's Moon's peak illumination, which is the exact moment it is 100% full, occurs at 9:41 am IST on October 26. Meaning, the Moon will technically be at its fullest during daylight hours, so you won't see the peak moment.  

At Triplicane, today too the sky was not clear – in the misty haze, the Moon appeared a bit Orange or Golden.  When the Moon is near the horizon, its light travels through more of Earth's atmosphere, which scatters blue light more strongly and allows more reddish light to reach our eyes. The shadows that usually outline craters during other phases tend to fade away because the light hits the lunar disk straight on. Instead, it is an ideal time to spot the dark, smooth volcanic plains, often called lunar "seas", as well as bright streaks radiating from young craters left behind by ancient asteroid impacts.

                     Happy moon viewing ! –here are couple of photos taken from my terrace at around 7 pm .. ..  

 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

26.10.2026

 

 

 

Chef Damu is no more !

 

Chef Damu, passed away in Chennai today. He was 72. He became a household name among Tamil television viewers  

Damodharan Kothandaraman, professionally known as Chef Damu, was a celebrity chef. He became popular by hosting numerous cooking shows and serving as a judge on popular Tamil language television programs, including  Cook with Comali on Star Vijay.

He holds the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, achieved in 2010. In recognition of his contributions to the culinary arts, he was awarded the Padma Shri,  in 2025. Damu was also known for being the first Indian chef to receive a Ph.D. in Hotel Management and Catering Technology, awarded by the University of Madras in 2004.

During Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Ekkadu thangal thiruvooral thirumbukal purappadu at Saidapet, near Sri Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal, he would have darshan of Perumal regularly.  Here is a photo taken in Jan 2023

Regards – S Sampathkumar
25.10.2026

respects to Ms Sachu madam ~ loves of Carmen !!!

 

As the 80 year young Ms Sachu walked in with all grace and poise  – modest, beautiful, smiling, pleasant, cynosure of all eyes – in the 60 year  function of my classmate TA Sriram’s wife Mrs Kousalya Sriram -  I greeted Ms Sachu madam, took her permission and as she smilingly obliged – was very happy in taking this photo, which I would cherish for long time.

This morning I saw the gruesome act of Crow carrying away the egg of Pigeon in its beak, felt a bit remorseful and agitated !  Slightly away, in History have read of abductions of young heir-apparent Prince to keep them away from dynasty succession and sometimes, they grew up elsewhere and return to rule !!!! 

In Spain, during the early nineteenth century, Don Jose Lizarabengoa arrives in Seville to begin service as a corporal in the Spanish dragoons.   He meets Carmen, a gypsy, who steals his watch, and becomes obsessed with her. Carmen slashes the face of a peasant woman who insults her. Jose is ordered to arrest Carmen but allows her to escape. For this Jose is demoted and confined to guard duty. Jose's commanding officer, the colonel, also falls in love with Carmen. A fortune teller warns Carmen she will be killed by a man she really loves. She goes to meet Jose, who is discovered by the colonel. The colonel challenges Jose to a duel during which Carmen trips the officer, causing him to fall on Jose's sword and die.  Finally,   Carmen and Jose die in each other's arms.

Saraswathi Sundaresan Iyer, professionally known as Sachu, is very famous having acted  in more than 500 films in five different languages and a few television serials.   She made her film début in 1952 in the film Rani at the age of 4, and has since been a prominent face on the silver screen. She started acting in television serials in 1995.  Sachu was born into a large orthodox family of musicians, lawyers and teachers,  and she  teamed up with her sister, Maadi Lakshmi, for Bharatanatyam recitals, her film career forged ahead.

                   Sachu performed alongside Bhanumathi, Padmini, Anjali Devi, or Savithri. The evergreen Maya Bazaar was her first 100-day film, and in the film, she played the cherubic Kutti Vatsala (Junior Savithri).  Her first film as heroine in Veera Thirumagan with C. R. Anandan, was released in 1961.  She was offered the role of a comedian to act as Nagesh's pair in the film Kadhalikka Neramillai and after its roaring success, she was put in comedian's role opposite actors like Suruli Rajan, "Thengai" Srinivasan, Cho Ramaswamy, Thangavelu, M. R. Vasu and M. R. Radha in many films. She, Manorama and Jayalalithaa came together to act in 2 classic comedy films - Galata Kalyanam and Bommalattam. Her other notable films include Kalai Arasi, Delhi Mapillai, Thenmazhai, Sorgam, Ooty Varai Oravu, Thunaivan and Meenava Nanban.  The late 1970s and 1980s saw her playing supporting roles in films alongside Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, and many others, while she has also played mother and grandmother roles to younger actors such as Vijay, Surya, Karthik, Sakthi Vasu and many others. She moved on to the small screen since 1995 and has starred in many serials   

In 1992, she was conferred  Kalaimamani Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu

In case, you are wondering the relevance of para 3 in Green – that was the storyline of “The Loves of Carmen”  American adventure drama romance film directed by Charles Vidor released in 1948. The film starred Rita Hayworth as the gypsy Carmen and Glenn Ford as her doomed lover Don José. The movie was a  dramatic adaptation of the novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée and is otherwise unrelated to Georges Bizet's opera Carmen. It is a remake of the 1927 film of the same name.

A little princess named Ranjani is tattooed with the royal insignia as part of tradition, and on the same night, she is kidnapped by one of the members of the tattoo gang who brings her up as a gypsy girl renaming her Rani. Unaware of her royal lineage, she grows up hawking things on the street and getting into brawls with no punches pulled. She falls in love with a soldier and the story progresses with twists. After several hardships, she learns the truth and the story ends well for her.

That was Rani (transl. Queen) directed by L. V. Prasad, written by A. S. A. Sami and produced by Jupiter Pictures, released in 1952. The film, a Tamil-Hindi bilingual, starred P. Bhanumathi, S. Balachander in the Tamil version with Anoop Kumar replacing him in Hindi.  Baby Sachu made her debut as Ranjani and this movie was based on the 1948 American film The Loves of Carmen

Interesting !  - thanks to Mr TA Sriram, Mrs Kousalya Sriram and .. .. of course Ms Sachu madam for the photo 

Regards – S Sampathkumar
25.10.2026